The myth of the Sexual Athlete

After reading this essay I feel as though I have a whole different outlook on how men think. Don Sabo talks about how men talk about sexual things in the locker room and while progressively getting older they start to become more complex. Men are very competitive and the section on sex as a sport really did not surprise me as much as the performance and patriarchy.

I grew up with a younger brother and I have had a boyfriend all through out high school who was on many sporting teams. I would always be the brunt of the joke when all his jock friends came around because I was the girlfriend and in the locker room they would talk about sexual things. Although my boyfriend and I agreed that what ever sexual relationship we had stayed between us and only us. This made our relationship more susceptible to their jokes because they did not know the details of our sexual life so they would make things up.

I believe this plays a role in masculinity and how a man sees himself. Like in Masculinity as Homophobia, men are afraid of things that might humiliate them and make them seem less masculine. Being on a sports team and not starting in the position or being pushed around will hurt a man’s pride. If they are also not living up to the sexual standards in the locker room it will hurt them as well. I feel as though men try to live up to having so much pride but in reality they are trying to figure it out like Don Sabo and learning by maturing how to respect women. How do you all think Don Sabo’s essay is different or is relatable to events you have witnessed?